This invention relates to electronic wrist watches with calculator mechanisms and provides for a six-button operation of all time and calculator functions. By locating three buttons on each side of the wrist watch casing, an operator can operate the watch tactilely without viewing of the watch. By utilizing simultaneous pressing of specific buttons, all watch and calculator functions and entry can be handled by the pressing of between one to three buttons, a task easily done with a user's thumb, index and forefinger.
Electronic wrist watches with built-in calculators are well-known as evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,266,278 of May 5, 1981 to Ebihara et al.; 4,232,382 of Nov. 4, 1980 to Heinsen et al.; 3,803,834 of Apr. 16, 1974 to Reese; 4,086,655 of Apr. 25, 1978 to Taiminmoto et al.; and 4,062,181 of Dec. 13, 1977 to Zurcher. These calculating wrist watches all suffer from the fact that the keyboard for numeral entry and mathematic functions (add, subtract, multiply, divide,=) is equipped with a plurality of closely spaced buttons on the face of the watch. Each number and each function has its own button. Consequently, as the buttons are close together, great care must be exhibited in data entry to insure accuracy. In addition, when buttons are close together, sometimes a tool (e.g., a pencil point, paper clip end, etc.) has to be used for pressing the buttons as a user's finger is too wide to insure only pressing of a single button. Likewise, viewing of the individual buttons is required in order to insure proper entry of data or mathematical function.
It is well-known in watches to have dual time zone capability for travelers so they can get one clock register for home time and one clock register for local time. By pressing of a button, the watch display can shift between these clock registers. Quite often, home time utilizes a twelve-hour AM-PM clock while the local time utilizes a twenty-four hour clock. It is also well-known to include a stopwatch register in these electronic watches, and by the proper pushing of buttons, one can shift from time to stopwatch operation. Also alarm setting features are quite common in these watches.
It is also well-known to include memory registers in calculators for the storage of numbers, such that e.g., multiplication of a series of different numbers by a constant number can be obtained by reference to a constant number stored in the memory.
In the above time and calculator functions, a method and procedure for the input of data and the change of function is normally obtained by the pushing of individual buttons for digit entry and individual buttons for shifting between registers and functions.
The instant invention accomplishes the data input for the above types of watches by shifting between registers and function with simplicity utilizing only six buttons which are spaced far apart so as to be able to be easily pushed by the thumb, fore and index fingers of one hand. By providing for no more than the pushing of three keys to accomplish data input, register recall, and mathematical and time function and display, tactile operation of the wrist watch can be affected so that the user need not view the watch face for data entry, register recall, mathematical or time function selected. By having the data entry utilize buttons on opposite sides of the watch face, a squeezing action of buttons between a thumb and fingers of a hand is obtained, which renders actuation easily and tactilely.
Rapid action is obtained by memorizing the buttons for actuation. This is of course simpler than a typewriter keyboard since fewer discrete combinations are required.
A type of electronics to obtain such operations can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,285 to Heinsen et al. which type of electronics can be utilized with the instant invention and which electronics is incorporated by reference hereinto as an example of electronics necessary to operate a watch calculator of the above known type. The instant application is not dependent on the electronics to be used, but rather with a logic system that allows tactile input to such electronics.